Another Cross-Country Adventure: Day 1

It was an early morning.

I’m not really a morning person.

But being able to see the beautiful sunrise, dressed in colors of pink and blue, was worth rolling out of bed at an hour I’d rather be sleeping.

We were heading to Nevada, the first stop on our journey east. The road there took us through some breathtaking scenery and I have images in my mind I’ll never forget.

We passed through farmland and marshland. There were tons of little birds sitting in the water. Some were flying through the midmorning, blue tinted sky. Behind the gathering clouds there were washed-out colors of yellow, pink, and orange from the sun, mixing with already blue hues. The marsh waters were perfectly calm, producing a gorgeous reflection like a mirror.

The diverse California landscape changed as we passed into the Sierra Nevada region. The mountains rose, snow-capped, and the giant trees stretched toward the sky. I loved all the tall trees and thought about how enchanting they looked, clustered together as the woods became more and more dense, like a magical woodland for fairies and other creatures.

We gained elevation as we drove further into the mountains, eventually reaching an area of Lake Tahoe and, what I believe was Donner Lake.

As we drove, thin clouds gathering and eventually the sun slipped behind them. It still shone through the veil of clouds, around trees, and over snow-covered mountains. There were streams and creeks, frozen and half frozen, with snow dusted rocks and boulders. The crystal water giving off a flawless reflection.

And that’s all there was for miles and miles – nature untouched.

And it was so peaceful.

At some point during the day we crossed over into Nevada. Nevada has its own type of beauty – a beauty in its landscape, in its nothingness.

But it isn’t nothingness.

Some of the hills and mountains have reddish or purplish or even black tints to them, which must have something to do with their sediment. These same hills and mountains can be tall or short, chipped into different rock formations, and surrounded not only by desert, but also small shrubs. And the blue sky lights up the land, stretching for miles with whisp-thin clouds.

Yes, Nevada has its own beauty.

It’s certainly not my favorite state out of the 50, but its beauty cannot be denied.

And during the winter months, the higher mountains are adorned with snow.

 When one thinks of Nevada, one usually thinks of Las Vegas and desert, but this state is so much more and I believe it’s one of those places that should be left alone, left to the animals who live there and nature itself.

After a long day of driving, seeing so much of the beauty nature had to offer, there was still one thing left for us to see – a Nevada sunset. It was beautiful. The sun was a golden orb lighting the blue sky, slowly sinking behind the desert and the hills and the snow dusted mountains.

To see more photos, please visit my gallery by clicking here.

If you missed Another Cross-Country Adventure: Prelude to Day 1, please click here to read.